Derry Girls – The Agreement Review

Derry Girls has come to an end with an hour-long special. Whilst it’s sad for fans of the series, at least Derry Girls went out on a high.

It has been a year since the events of “Halloween.” Erin and Orla are about to celebrate their 18^th Birthday. This coincides with the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement. However, tensions grow within the group due to the potential impact of this historic agreement.

Derry Girls has been an impactful show. It was one of the biggest Northern Irish shows and has made a massive cultural impression internationally. Audiences have grown to love the characters and relate to their everyday struggles as they lived in an extraordinary situation. That was what made Derry Girls so special.

“The Prom” and “President” were episodes that combined the gang’s personal issues and important moments of the peace process. “The Prom” ended with the announcement of the Ceasefire when the gang was at their prom and the residents of Derry were in a state of euphoria. “President” was about James preparing to leave Derry just as Bill Clinton visited the city. “President” ended with a beautiful moment James yelled ‘I’m a Derry Girl’ and the girls skipped Clinton’s speech because their friendship that was so important.

The season finales highlighted the massive changes for the gang and for Northern Ireland. The first season’s finale concluded with the gang dancing on the school stage to support Orla, unaware there had been a major terrorist attack. “Agreement” ends with Northern Ireland being on the verge of peace with all the gang turning 18. It was a wonderful arc over the three seasons.

Ending Derry Girls with the Good Friday Agreement seemed inevitable. My colleague, Jean, made this point in an episode of Pop Culture Maniacs’ podcast. It was the most logical way to conclude the show. “Agreement” does act as a full conclusion to the series, it wouldn’t be right to continue the show with a film like The Inbetweeners or Downton Abbey.

“Agreement” was particularly poignant because of recent events. The episode highlighted how momentous the Good Friday Agreement was for Northern Ireland because it secured a region that had only known conflict a chance for peace. Joe comically breaks down the key points of the agreement, such as power being transferred to Stormont, people could have a choice to have a British or Irish passport or have both passports, and the Royal Ulster Constabulary getting renamed the Police Service of Northern Ireland. It was a hard-fought peace and required a lot of compromises.

Joe’s attempt to explain the Good Friday Agreement felt similar to another great comedy finale. Blackadder Goes Fourth’s finale had a great comedic scene when Blackadder, Darling, and Baldrick discussed the causes of the First World War.

However, the agreement does drive a wedge between the friends. One of the terms of the agreement was the release of paramilitaries and this opened a wound between Erin and Michelle. The special revealed that Michelle’s brother was in prison because he was a paramilitary and when Erin mentions this Michelle exploded in anger. This caused a major conflict in the special, resulting in the gang split into two factions. It was like the Season One finale after Clare came out.

This revelation about Michelle’s brother showed The Troubles did have a personal impact on the gang. Michelle had a breakdown due to the weight of what her brother had done. Erin’s concern was what if the peace deal broke down and violence erupts, then all this work would be for naught. Erin did have a wonderful heart-to-heart with her grandfather about her concerns and he points out that there’s a risk but it’s a risk they must take.

Derry Girls was focused on characters from the Catholic Nationalist side of Northern Ireland, but there were also people trying to live their lives. They had everyday concerns and aspirations. The morality in the show was complex because no side was shown to be right or wrong, Unionists and Protestants weren’t vilified. Violence was condemned because Michelle’s brother had been disowned by her family.

“The Agreement” was about more than the big historical moments, it was also a fun send for the show. The special had a joyous opening with Orla registering to vote and walking on the streets of Derry. She even got to do a river dance with some young girls. Erin was reading in a book shop and showed she might be as intelligential as she thinks, and Michelle was working at Dennis’ Wee Shop and she shared his level of customer service.

The special was incredibly funny. Even at the height of the tensions between Erin and Michelle there was a hilarious phone call where Clare was caught in the middle. I like to think Clare’s burger phone was a reference to the indie comedy Juno. There was hilarity when Erin and Orla had to share their birthday party with a first communion party. Some of the best moments include Erin and Orla who were speaking with the young girls about their first communion and Colm’s soul-draining abilities. One of the funniest moments was when Colm offered an honest description of Eammon (Ardal O’Hanlon).

Sister Michael was in great form in the special. She was back to making biting comments after Jenny’s little play about Northern Ireland’s divisions. Sister Michael was given a dilemma in the special because Father Peter told her the bishop wanted to transfer the nun. Despite Sister Michael’s dismissive front, deep down she did care for the school and her students, and she didn’t want to leave her position.

A plotline left lingering from “The Haunting” was Erin and James’ declaring their feelings for each other. In that episode they kissed but Erin prevents the relationship from going any further. “The Agreement” did look like it was going to revisit this storyline because at the beginning James was editing a video and he looked longingly at footage of Erin. However, this potential relationship was scuppered due to the fallout between Erin and Michelle because James had to side with his family. It was what Michelle predicted because she said she would have had to side with James if they broke up.

“The Agreement” was a triumphant conclusion for Derry Girls. It couldn’t have ended any better and it will go down as one of the best finales for a sitcom.